Oxygen Art Centre

Public Talk:                           Friday, October 4, 2019 @ 7:30 PM

Workshop:                             Saturday, October 5, 2019 – Sunday, October 6, 2019

 

Workshop Group sessions:

Saturday, October 5 from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

Sunday, October 6 from 1:00-4:00 PM

Workshop Individual sessions:       Saturday, October 5 from TBA

Sunday, October 6 from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

 

Group Workshop and Individual Session: Course Fee: $125 (7 spaces available) 

Group Workshop Only: Course Fee: $75 (5 spaces available)

 

Join us for a free, public talk held at Oxygen Art Centre on Friday, October 4 at 7:30 PM titled, ”Structurally Porous and Perpetually in Progress: Development & Progress of the Esker Foundation” by Naomi Potter.

 

Potter will speak on the development and progress of the Esker Foundation as a generous, supportive, and caring contemporary art gallery. The talk will consider the delicate balancing act required of a contemporary art gallery and arts workers. In particular, Potter considers how to build an institution without becoming too institutional; how to support the local while participating in a global conversation; and, above all, how to bring relevance and accessibility to the diverse and complex communities.

 

An anomaly in Canada’s arts and culture community, Esker Foundation is a privately funded contemporary art gallery located in Calgary, AB. Founded in 2012 by Jim and Susan Hill, Esker Foundation is a new model for institutional relevance, curatorial focus, and audience engagement. Potter will speak about developing this model, and the curatorial and engagement focus that supports it.

 

Oxygen Art Centre is excited to offer this free, public talk to learn about the Esker Foundation’s model, Potter’s curatorial practice, and to create dialogue surrounding these topics. This event is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

 

The workshop facilitated by Potter is for artists, curators, art writers and others. It will hinge upon both group and individual discussions about the various structures and institutions that make up the contemporary art world.

 

With a focus on the interconnected spheres of the curator, the exhibition, the institution, and the various ways commercial can exist in an art practice, this workshop asks how does one navigate and participate with and through these as a professional artist, curator, cultural worker, or maker? What does it mean to be in the creative sector today? What are the responsibilities? And, how does one make informed decisions about the direction or impact their work will make?

This workshop will push participants to think critically about the value of their work across a variety of settings in cultural institutions and commercial contexts. We are thrilled to be able to offer this professional development opportunity to artists and creatives living and working in our community.

 

To register for the workshop, please visit Oxygen Art Centre’s website or contact the gallery.

 

This event and workshop is part of Oxygen’s Masterclass Series that offers professional support, education, and discourse surrounding contemporary art practice for our community.
This event is generously supported by Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance.

 

Presenter Bio:

Naomi Potter is the Director/Curator of Esker Foundation in Calgary. Over the last twenty years she developed numerous curatorial, artist, and residency projects in Canada and Central and Eastern Europe. From 2009-2011, she was curator of Walter Phillips Gallery at The Banff Centre where she produced solo projects and exhibitions with many artists including; Anthony Burnham, Geoffrey Farmer, Melanie Gilligan, Brian Jungen, Ragnar Kjartansson, Silke Otto-Knapp, and Ron Terada. More recently she has worked to develop solo projects at Esker Foundation with Peter von Tiesenhausen, Jason deHaan, Mia Feuer, Colleen Heslin, Etienne Zack, Jasmina Cibic, Tammi Campbell and Agnes Martin to name a few. In 2003, Potter was awarded a yearlong Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD) artist residency in Istanbul, and from 2003 to 2007 was co-director of the international artist residency program at CESTA in the Czech Republic. In 2014, she was selected as one of Alberta’s 50 most influential people by Venture magazine, and in 2015 was a guest of both the Australian Arts Council and British Council International Curatorial Visit programs. She currently sits on the Board of Directors at Stride Gallery in Calgary. Potter holds a BFA from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and an MFA in sculpture from Concordia University, Montreal.

 

Press Contact:

Julia Prudhomme

Executive Director

Oxygen Art Centre

info@oxygenartcentre.org

250.352.6322

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